You can pay me now…

…or you can pay me later!

The same holds true for almost everything in life…but it is especially when it comes to teaching, tutoring, coaching, and even monitoring. Yes, there are a handful of people who are at the top of their game and give back, myself included. But it is also necessary to keep the lights on, feed our families, and keep a roof over their heads.

But I’m getting ahead of myself! Take a look at this blast from the past and then we’ll talk. Okay?

It’s interesting how many people think the ad campaign associated with the above-mentioned quote was a General Motors, Mr. Goodwrench campaign. Ultimately, it really doesn’t matter anymore because, like so many other unique selling phrases, it has grown out of the original context and has become part of our national culture.

“Pay me now or pay me later” has become one of those phrases everyone can relate to, a message that has outgrown its original intent.

Other phrases that speak to being cheap in the short run and having to pay a much greater price in the long run include:

“You get what you pay for!”

“Penny wise and pound foolish!”

This next one is one of my favorites:

“Jumping over $20 bills to pick up pennies!”

And here’s one that has all sorts of meanings and implications…but it also applies here:

“You reap what you sow!”

The purpose of the first part of this post is, or at least should be, transparent.

In fact, all you have to do is type in a few keywords and you’ll have a sense of the wide range in qualifications and fees for tutors in the Northeast and North Central Ohio areas; and, in particular, for tutors serving suburban Cleveland.

Ironically, I am usually not the first tutor most students see. However, in almost every instance, I am the last. Sadly, in to many instances I am the fourth or fifth tutor a struggling student has been subjected to before the full weight of “pay me now or pay me later” kicks in. If that makes the reader a bit uncomfortable, I apologize. Unfortunately, I see to many of the above-mentioned “tutors” advertising themselves as professionals when they are as far from it as one can possibly get and still keep a straight face.

Being sorta good at math and English in high school and/or college does not prepare a “tutor” to work with students who are failing one or more classes…with or without dealing with the added challenges associated with ADD, ADHD, Asperger’s syndrome, or worse!

And it certainly doesn’t justify wasting a student’s time and their parent’s money while they find that out!

Part II: Westside Tutoring and Testing Services Offers Professional ADD and ADHD Tutoring Services for Students throughout Suburban Cleveland and Northeast Ohio!

Westside Tutoring and Testing Services Specializes in Middle School and High School Students, Professional Tutor with More than 30 Years Experience

Westside Tutoring and Testing Services offers tutoring, mentoring, and coaching for students and student athletes from 5 to 65. Professor John P. J. “Jack” Zajaros, Sr. has been tutoring students for more than 3 decades.

This is a partial list of schools, school districts, and cities our students have come from. To list all of the students we have tutored over the years would be impossible:

Akron University Amherst Ashland University Avon Avon Lake Bay Village Beachwood Bedford Berea BGSU Firelands Brecksville Broadview Heights Brookpark Case Western Reserve University Cleveland Cleveland Heights Cleveland State University Columbia Station Cuyahoga Community College Elyria Fairview Park Garfield Heights Huron Independence John Carroll University Kent State University Lake Erie College Lakeland Community College Lakewood Lorain Lorain County Community College Magnificat High School Maple Heights Medina Middleburg Heights Nordonia North Olmsted North Ridgeville North Royalton Olmsted Falls Parma Parma Heights Rocky River Saint Augustine’s Academy Saint Edward’s High School Saint Ignatius High School Saint Joseph’s Academy Seven Hills Seville Shaker Heights Strongsville University Heights University School Ursuline College Vermilion Westlake

And many, many more!

Professor John P. J. “Jack” Zajaros, Sr., “Professor Z” or “Jack” to most of his students, has tutored, mentored, and coached students from kindergarten through graduate and professional school in almost every subject you can think of.

Additionally, Professor Z has helped students study for and pass the following exams (again, a partial list):

GED

Nursing board exams and many of the classes leading up to graduation from nursing school and the exam

The PRAXIS series for individuals entering the teaching profession and seeking teacher certification

United States Armed Forces Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) for individuals attempting to enter the military and qualify for a better job or skill

Ohio Graduation Tests (OGT)

PSAT

SAT

ACT

GRE

LSAT

And so many more!

Professor Z has also helped students:

Overcome test anxiety – for students at every level, from middle school to medical school

Develop study skills – necessary to improve performance

Time management – in order to use time more efficiently

To qualify for scholarships and for participation – for athletics at the high school and college/university level

To meet eligibility requirements – GPA and SAT or ACT scores to qualify for NCAA eligibility

Some of the courses Professor Z has provided tutoring services for over the years include (K through professional school, as well as adult and post grad studies):

Professor Zajaros has helped students with personal statements for competitive high school, undergraduate, graduate, and professional school admission…as well as helping with the application itself.

Westside Tutoring and Testing Services:

Is the logical outgrowth of a lifelong love for learning and teaching. Professor Zajaros’ son, John P. J. Zajaros, Jr. (April 21, 1976 – July 1, 2012), struggled throughout his life with the challenges presented as a result of ADHD. We know so much more about ADD, ADHD, and other learning challenges than we did 3 decades ago.

It has has been Professor Zajaros’goal to reach and help as many students affected with ADD and ADHD as possible…to help as many children and adults as possible overcome this terrible learning disability and move on to a happy and productive life.

With the assistance of teachers, guidance counselors, and other support staff, Professor Zajaros has been able to reach hundreds of children over the years and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

In addition to ADD, ADHD, Asperger’s syndrome, and other learning challenges, Professor Z also works with Gifted students and so-called average students, there are no average students, who are struggling to bring their grades up in one or more courses and for any number of reasons.

If you, your son, or your daughter is in need of assistance, call Professor Zajaros today!

There is no time like the present and the longer you wait, the more time it will take. If you anticipate that you, your son, or your daughter is going to have problems with a specific subject or with a number of subjects, there is no time like the present to call for a consultation and assessment.

Westside Tutoring succeeds

even after other tutors and tutoring firms

have failed!

Westside Tutoring

Serves all of Northeastern and

North Central Ohio

Westside Tutoring specializes in working with students who have difficult learning and/or emotional hurdles to overcome! In other words, we help our students reach their full potential. Guaranteed!

Westside Tutoring students often rise to the top of their class, many times after other tutors and tutoring agencies, some of the biggest and most recognizable names in tutoring and test preparation, have fallen short…failing to deliver an acceptable outcome!

Westside Tutoring has helped hundreds of students succeed, often after they have already been through 3, 4, and even 5 tutors.

And we do it one student at a time!

We specialize in working with students who require a professional tutor with years of experience, a tutor willing, and able, to invest the time and energy necessary to secure, not just an acceptable outcome, a highly desirable one!

Westside Tutoring Areas of Specialization

Multiple tutors without a satisfactory outcome

Attention Deficit Disorder ADD

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ADHD

Asperger’s Syndrome and other expressions of Autism

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Dyslexia

Undiagnosed learning difficulties

Anger Management Issues

Anxiety Issues (to include test anxiety)

Students returning to school after a prolonged absence due to illness or other health or behavioral issues

Homeschooled children with gaps in their education

Students who have been removed from school due to illness, general health, and/or behavioral issues and require a personal tutor

Students who are failing or have failed a class and require remedial work (tutoring) to catch up

Students who have been held back due to absence and/or performance issues

This is just one of many letters from satisfied clients. Additional references, and the associated documentation, available upon request.

Dear Jack,

In the middle of of the school year, my daughter lost her bearings in high school chemistry as the pace picked up and the assignments became more complex. My daughter couldn’t relate to the teacher’s learning style and presentation. The school’s student tutor for chemistry was a classmate of my daughter; my daughter was too embarrassed to work with him. My last encounter with chemistry was thirty years ago and hopelessly out of date. By the time we contacted you for tutoring, my daughter was failing her assignments and panicking.

You were wonderful the whole way. The day we called, you called us back. You met with my daughter the next day at our home. You assessed the situation, calmed everyone down, and put an immediate action plan in place. You renewed her confidence. You assessed her learning style and presented complex material in a way that made sense to her. Working together, my daughter had a very successful recovery and finished the class with an ‘A’ on her final.

Chemistry went from overwhelming to fascinating. We cannot thank you enough!

I work with students diagnosed with ADD (attention deficit disorder) and ADHD (attention deficit disorder) every day. Most of these students are bright, creative, imaginative, and an absolute joy to work with.

ADD & ADHD affected students just need their own brand of attention…and the right vehicle for expression.

If you think your child, a child already labeled, can’t do well and even excel?

When to Hire a Tutor: If You Think Your Child Needs a Tutor…You’re Too Late!

This will probably be one of the worst articles you will read on one of my blogs, in terms of grammar, flow, semantics, and overall structure that is! In fact, in many places it may seem more like a rant. In other places, a lament!

It started as one thing and, like many of my articles, it veered sharply off course almost at once!

Unfortunately, I honestly believe there is far too little honest emotion expressed when it comes to the predicament many of our children face…and it is expressed far too late!

That may be the case here!

Why?

Because we are failing a generation of young people!

Students I see today cannot read faster than 150-190 word per minute (average is 190-240), they can’t write an intelligible essay, if it wasn’t for EasyBib they wouldn’t understand the difference between MLA and APA. Incredibly, many can’t convert fractions into decimals, don’t understand percentages, and utterly fail beyond Algebra I.

We are concerned with math and science and our children cannot write in complete sentences!

A key question:

Do we neglect academic pursuits on purpose?

I have asked myself, and many others, that question so many times over the years, more times than I care to count.

I guess the answer is like most answers, it is complex:

Some do and some don’t!

More to the point:

I would argue that there is a serious neglect at every level, and it is reaching epidemic proportions!

Our children are not prepared to…T…H…I…N…K…much less spell, write, read (speed and comprehension), form a hypothesis, k now what the scientific method is, the definition of biology, the definition of anthropology, chemistry is the study of, know when the civil war was fought, what great accomplishments George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are known for, who Charles Darwin was, who Marie Curie was (much less her husband’s name) and what she is known for discovering, where Gettysburg is and what happened there, what the Gettysburg Address is and why it was central to the outcome of (which) war, how to write the formula for oxygen, water, carbon dioxide, what natural selection is, what an embryo is responsible for, a placenta, what DNA is, what RNA is, what amino acids are……………

And I could go on for days!

I am not talking about kids coming out of elementary school or even middle school. I am referring to students graduating from some of our better high schools, even our nation’s colleges and universities! There are students graduating from four year colleges and universities who not taken an essay exam or written a single paper…in four years of undergraduate study!

I’ve worked with some of these graduates and it is tragic!

They can’t write a personal statement for a job application, never mind one for entrance to graduate school.

Yes! Graduate school!

Here is a question for you:

What are we going to do with 50-60-75% dropping out of many school systems…well before the 12th grade, many by 9th grade?

What are we going to do with their children, children growing up in poverty and without adequate role models?

Why has it come to this?

Well, again, it’s complex!

Many are unwilling and/or unable to foot the bill, the tax bill specifically, to make the necessary improvements. Others feel our government is so mismanaged that pouring more money into the black hole that are our nation’s coffers is useless.

Here’s another question for you:

What could we have done with the money our government shelled out to Wall Street Banks? The same Wall Street banks that had pocketed millions, even billions in profits prior to the crash of 2008!

Think I’m exaggerating?

Read:The Big Short by Michael Lewis

Read: Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin

Read: Inside Job: The Rogues Who Turned Finance into a Criminal Enterprise and How They Hijacked the United States by Charles Ferguson

Read: A Colossal Failure of Common Sense: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Lehman Brothers by Lawrence G. McDonald (Facebook friend and Twitter buddy…and an honorary cousin) and Patrick Robinson

I could go on!

If you aren’t ready to throw your head out of the window of your car, house, office, anywhere by now and shout:

“I’m mad as H*ll and not going to take it any more”

by the time you finish the above-mentioned books?

It isn’t going to happen!

And I’m not even going to go into what the recent military actions have cost us!

Just one bomb, just one: $1,000,000.00, at least!

We have squandered our children’s educations and possible of grandchildren’s. And we are still arguing partisan politics?

The dog and pony show goes on! (more to follow)

Incredible!

Sadly, many educators are so burnt out after years of working in schools that are no more than 8am-3pm holding cells for children we don’t know what to do with, they have lost hope.

It’s tragic!

Even worse, many teachers and administrators are so jaded they don’t want to know how to fix a system they believe is beyond repair. Many educators are simply treading water and waiting for retirement…or disability!

Not only are the children lost, I would argue we are losing a generation of teachers, as well!

Many educators, and some for good reason, feel that teaching at many of our nation’s institutions has become a Sisyphean exercise:

Bring them in, move them on, and get them out…with no end in sight!

Like Sisyphus, constantly pushing that boulder up the hill, only to begin again!

Metal detectors, locker checks, assaults, security in the form of off duty police, dogs…Yes, dogs!…and worse. Ceilings falling in, classrooms in trailers for years at a time, no heat, stifling heat, expired food (dated) in lunches, no lunches, and worse…

Can burn out be far behind?

Burn out for the teachers and despair and apathy for the children!

Are the teachers and administrators to blame?

Some are!

Most aren’t!

Most people in education entered teaching because they love –loved- kids, they believed teaching was a noble profession and a way to give something back, to reach out and, perhaps, change the world one child at a time. Perhaps they had a teacher who touched their life in a special way, made a difference.

Saving the Life of One Child

I have often said, and I have heard others say:

“If I can change just one child’s life, make a difference in the life of just one struggling child, perhaps it will all have been worth it!”

Project Kids!

I have had students like that, in academic settings and on sports teams I have coached.

I call them “project kids!”

Not because they are from “the projects,” not at all! In fact, most of my “project kids” are from good homes, single homes, struggling homes, supportive homes, neglectful homes, lower class homes, middle class homes, upper middle class homes, well-functioning homes, disfunctional homes, and from the homes of our wealthiest citizens.

In other words, the “project kids” come from every segment of society and every socio-economic bracket; every race, creed, ethnic background, and so on.

They are everywhere and, in most cases,they are invisible…some barely holding on…but invisible!

My “project kids” have given me so much, so very much!

One “project kid” gave me my life back!

Funny thing about life, just when you’ve had about all you can handle, when you feel like there’s no more meaning, when you are basically all tapped out, someone is put in your path that makes things seem possible again.

A Do-Over:

The “Project Kid” Who Gave Me Back My Life!

We’ve all called “do-over!”

A do-over is that time when a game isn’t going our way and we want just one more chance? We all called it as kids.

The ball went out of bounds:Do-over!

Struck out:Do-over!

I think the big people have one for golf:Mulligan?

I don’t know for sure about that last one. I play golf every 7-10 years just to reassure myself I have no business on a golf course. And now with my back completely shot….

Yeah, you get the picture!

Well, I was way beyond calling for yet another “do-over!”

But I got one anyway!

My most recent “project kid” was like that, a young girl who had witnessed a tragedy, a friend’s death, in a terrible accident. Her friend died in front of her and she was devastated…as we all would be.

“Jane” (not her name and perhaps not her sex) was struggling with depression and was close to failing several of her classes. Jane’s Mom and Dad are both professional people and both of them love Jane very much. Jane’s parents were willing to do whatever it took to help her get beyond that terrible tragedy and help her move on with her life.

But both parents were struggling!

Mom and Dad were not only struggling with how to help their daughter, they were struggling with their own feelings of frustration. To make things worse, they were having trouble reaching Jane at all; they were wise enough to know they might lose her altogether.

I got a call and they asked me to come over, I said I would come over that evening. I have interviewed students and parents in their homes for years, particularly when I am considering whether to take on a student or not.

We met with them around their kitchen table.

I like to meet a prospective student in their home, where they and their parents are most at ease. Meeting on the prospective student’s turf helps me get a better sense of the dynamics between family members; and, I am more likely to see the child without their defenses up…particularly as the interview continues and I focus on Mom and Dad, away from the child.

Do they listen?

Do they lean in?

Do they fidget?

Do they ask questions?

Do they try to refocus our attention on him or her?

All these are keys and invaluable when attempting to get a handle on whether or not there is going to be a good fit or not.

Don’t get me wrong, I have had children who were openly hostile and I have taken them on.

One young lady was failing chemistry miserably, if there is another way to fail chemistry let me know, and I was going to be her 5th tutor!

She finished the year with an A!

Yes! Just as hostile as Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting!

But there are not many that openly hostile…thank goodness! It is very tough to reach kids that negative…but I seem to have a gift. And I love kids!

The importance of love, passion, and empathy cannot be understated!

And above all?

Honesty and respect!

Once you lose their respect…you pay heaven & h#ll to win it back.

But it is possible!

So, there we were: Mom, Dad, little brother, and Jane. I can see it like it was yesterday!

I was listening to them and watching Jane out of the corner of my eye. I usually try to incorporate the student into the conversation early. In many instances, the child is surprised to be asked what they think and I win points. This pays off later, as they usually don’t forget that I asked them for their opinion in what seems like an “adult conversation!”

Fortunately, Jane was beyond the point of fighting about whether or not she needed a tutor, she knew she needed help too.

So, I said OK!

Funny thing was?

I had just recovered from a 12 year battle with a life threatening series of illnesses and infections (osteomyelitis of the spine was the primary diagnosis). I had wrestled with depression, primarily caused by the length of the illness itself, combined with chronically acute back pain, and several surgeries over more than a decade.

Funny thing?

I wasn’t really prepared for Jane! However, I knew Jane needed help and I knew I could help her.

I also had to get on with my life…or give up!

So I said OK again!

Then, on the way home I asked myself if I was nuts!

“Probably,” was the response!

Well, to make a long story short, we ended up saving each other. Today Jane is my friend. A good friend!

That’s feels funny in today’s world, Jane is a teenager (a senior this year) and I am 56 years old and a Grandpa. But Jane and I shared something in those sessions that no one can pay for and I can never repay. Yes, we got a ton of work done, a ton! But we also helped each other in some intangible way I can’t really describe…and it worked for both of us!

I can’t repay Jane, her parents, or God for the good it did me.

But it saved my life…of that I am certain!

Interestingly, there would be times when Jane would come to my office, just shot, unable to think, to do much of anything…so we talked, she played with our dogs, she talked to my kids, my grandkids, and my wife. She had dinner, helped with chores (always paid), and my wife bought her favorite candies and sodas. We did everything to make sure she always felt like one of us.

She became a part of our family…another one of our children!

Jane slept when she needed to sleep and we listened to the latest music when she had something I just had to hear.

We watched Avatar and The Blind Side when they first came out and we talked about the meaning of each, how they related to her and her own world view and how our society might view them. We talked about the historical meaning behind Avatar’s story line.

I did tell Jane’s mom I didn’t want to be called Miss Sue! See The Blind Side if you don’t know what I mean…it will be worth the time, and the laugh!

Anyway, as the year progressed, we talked, we healed, we grew, and we learned!

Because I listened, I helped her learn, and she helped me come out of my despair and believe in myself again.

As stated above, I can’t repay Jane, her parents, or God for the good it did me. I have put much of the torment and the pain of those years behind me and, with another school year approaching, am looking forward to watching Jane graduate from high school and go on to college.

From a scared 15 year old girl to a fine young lady about to graduate, I have been able to touch “just one child” again and remember what that feels like.

In fact, there have been quite a few project kids over the years!

Some of the kids were on softball, basketball, or soccer teams.

Some of the kids were gifted students in need of a little confidence and someone to believe in them again.

Some had Asperger’s.

Some suffered from traumatic brain injuries (TBI).

Some were struggling with ADD.

Some with ADHD.

And some just needed a little help!

Incredibly, they all gave back many times what I was able to give…in each and every instance!

That is why most people begin to teach, whether as a K-12 teacher, a university professor, or a private tutor.

I prefer the freedom to make my own way in life and work with the children, and adults, who really need me. That’s why I select the students I end up working with…because I feel they need me; and, maybe, I need them a little.

I have been a mentor, a coach, a tutor, someone to confide in, and someone to lean on.

In every case, eventually I end up being Jack. I end up being someone put there to help them get to where they want to be…or away from where they are now, as painful as that may be!

In return I have received friendship, warmth, love, a few gifts, and that special something I can’t name but anyone who has earned and held the trust of students knows.

This series will continue because I have roughly 10,000 words written and there’s no end in sight! If you stayed with me through this article, thank you!

ADD and ADHD Students: Are Often Bright and Even Gifted

Violating Newton’s First Law of Motion:

Reaching those Challenged by an Attention Immaturity

Steven Pavlakis, M.D.**, The Director of Pediatric Neurology and Development, Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, refers to attention deficit disorder, with or without hyperactivity, as being an attention immaturity issue rather than an attention deficit. I believe this is an important distinction and, while there is much work yet to be done, it is a significant observation and one that warrants additional research.

The Damage Labels Do

One of the greatest challenges affecting our children today is the use of labels in our schools, particularly early on, and specifically as they relate to learning disabilities. Once labeled as disabled, average, gifted, and so on, a child is set on a track; and, that track is set in stone. Short of a violation of Newton’s first law of motion, there is little chance to break free of most labels, in many ways they are the academic version of a high school reputation…and they stick in much the same way! Unfortunately, from that point on, the student will be labeled accordingly. For the remainder of his or her academic career, in the original school district, that of the original diagnosis, or as a member of the student body at any other school system he or she might become a part of over the remaining years, the label sticks…the rep sticks!

Frightening?

It should be!

Just a fresher for those not up on their Newtonian Laws:

Newton’s first law of motion states that the velocity of a body remains constant unless the body is acted upon by an external force. (Sir Isaac Newton, Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, 1687)

Or, as many have learned it way back in elementary school:

Once a body is in motion, it will tend to stay in motion unless acted on my some other, outside force!

Once again, as most familiar with the wheels of academia know, particularly in a public setting, those labeled disabled, in any sense, will remain labeled and will receive a different education. Interrupting that motion set by the powers that be is an order of magnitude more difficult than violating Newton’s first law!

NOTE: I am not saying that the issue of attention immaturity must be ignored. I am simply suggesting that we be very careful before we assign labels to children in or out of an academic setting.

This is a crucial issue and one we will explore in greater detail over the year ahead. For now, suffice it to say that before any sort of a diagnosis is set in stone, IEP developed, and child labeled, possibly for life, we must be very sure of exactly what we are dealing with…in all of its manifestations.

Because the issues/challenges have been described, across most academic and medical communities, as learning disabilities may not be, caution must be the watchword. Most significantly, children are being treated with many of the same education strategies and programs that have been traditionally set aside for those diagnosed, and subsequently labeled with, more profound educational issues and challenges.

This cannot stand!

Ultimately, how we diagnose and treat our students will impact and affect the trajectory of the remainder of their life. The possibility of serious consequences should, at the very least, suggest a level of caution not currently displayed and/or applied in many school systems, public and private, today.

Contact us today!*

If you would like to discuss your child’s options with me, I will be accepting a very limited number of children for the current academic year. Because our program requires a significant time commitment on my part, I can only accept 8-10 students per year.

*The only time we do not pick up the phone is when we are in session. Please leave a detailed message including: student’s name; school district; academic year; birth year; diagnosis, if any; IEP in place; athletics and/or extracurriculars; and, any additional relevant information. I will return your call as soon as I am free.

**Dr. Pavlakis has received a number of awards, has an impressive CV, and his research has focused on cerebrovascular disease in children, metabolic disease in children, and the neuroimaging of children (MR, MRS, and functional imaging).